These fragrant Puer Sheng GABA Grade R tea leaves, from the Ruby 18 cultivar, have a special processing, combining GABA techniques with puer sheng production techniques to create a taste we rarely encounter in tea. In fact, this tea offers a little sensory journey: the initially more sour taste reminiscent of red fruits slowly transforms into sweet notes on the palate, with a liveliness typical of puer tea.
Tasting – Sight and smell
The large rolled leaves of Puer Sheng GABA Grade R tea are dark brown and black, with coppery tips and a rather irregular shape. Once infused, they spread a sweet fruity aroma with sugary hints and some fragrant wood notes. The liquor is amber-orange in color, and on the palate it is full-bodied with good balance in taste. The sweet notes are perfectly balanced by the mild astringency typical of puer sheng and the more intense hints of forest wood.
Tasting Notes
GONG FU CHA
The first infusion of Puer Sheng GABA Grade R tea gives a liquor with delicate notes of candied fruit, dried figs and raisins. With a second infusion, the character of this tea changes and becomes more intense: we recognize a woody note that carries with it a slight bitter aftertaste, but still pleasant and well balanced. It is with the third and subsequent infusions that firm notes of red fruits such as raspberries and blackberries emerge, combining sweet and slightly tart hints in an interesting finish that leaves a clean mouthfeel.
WESTERN
In the opening, this Puer Sheng GABA tea. Grade R presents a fruity note of medium sweetness: hints of blackberries and red fruits, slightly astringent, then evolve into sweeter notes of candied fruit and candied figs. Only later is there a slight woody note on the back of the tongue, not at all intrusive and also evolving. The finish returns bittersweet, with hints of chestnut honey and a good fruity persistence.
Place of origin
Myanmar
How to prepare
We strongly recommend infusing this Puer Sheng GABA Grade R tea in the traditional Chinese method (Gong Fu Cha) with a gaiwan with a capacity of about 150 ml. By following this preparation, multiple infusions can be made with 5 grams of leaves that are useful to best capture all the flavor nuances of the tea.
Heat the water to a temperature of 90°C and proceed with an initial 15-second infusion. Keeping the water at the same temperature, you can then continue to exploit the same leaves by adding more water and increasing the infusion time by 5 seconds each time (15 – 20 – 25…).
These leaves could be steep about 9 times.
For a more classic preparation according to the Western style, we recommend 3 grams of leaves in a 200-mL cup with water at 90°C for an infusion time of 3 minutes.
For a better tasting experience, we suggest that you strain the tea as soon as the brewing time is over. The infusion timings we suggest can be slightly modified to your liking to achieve a more or less intense taste.
Store in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.